One biological target of recent interest is histone deacetylase (HDAC) (see, for example, a discussion of the use of inhibitors of histone deacetylases for the treatment of cancer: Marks et al. Nature Reviews Cancer 2001, 7,194; Johnstone et al. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 2002, 287). Post-translational modification of proteins through acetylation and deacetylation of lysine residues plays a critical role in regulating their cellular functions. HDACs are zinc hydrolases that modulate gene expression through deacetylation of the N-acetyl-lysine residues of histone proteins and other transcriptional regulators (Hassig et al Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 1997, 1, 300-308). HDACs participate in cellular pathways that control cell shape and differentiation, and an HDAC inhibitor has been shown effective in treating an otherwise recalcitrant cancer (Warrell et al J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1998, 90, 1621-1625). At this time, eleven human HDACs, which use Zn as a cofactor, have been identified (Taunton et al. Science 1996, 272, 408-411; Yang et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1997, 272, 28001-28007. Grozinger et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1999, 96, 4868-4873; Kao et al. Genes Dev. 2000, 14, 55-66. Hu et al J. Biol. Chem. 2000, 275, 15254-15264; Zhou et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2001, 98, 10572-10577; Venter et al. Science 2001, 291, 1304-1351), and these members fall into three classes (class I, II, and IV). An additional seven HDACs have been identified which use NAD as a cofactor.
Recently, a cytoplasmic histone deacetylase protein, HDAC6, was identified as necessary for aggresome formation and for survival of cells following ubiquitinated misfolded protein stress. The aggresome is an integral component of survival in cancer cells. The mechanism of HDAC6-mediated aggresome formation is a consequence of the catalytic activity of the carboxy-terminal deacetylase domain, targeting an uncharacterized non-histone target. HDAC inhibition results in hyperacetylation of chromatin, alterations in transcription, growth arrest, and apoptosis in cancer cell lines. Early phase clinical trials with available nonselective HDAC inhibitors demonstrate responses in hematologic malignancies including multiple myeloma, although with significant toxicity.
There remains a need for the development of inhibitors of histone deacetylases and tubulin histone deacetylases.